The Rare Delight of You

The Rare Delight of You

The CD photo of this intergenerational collaboration between guitarist-vocalist John Pizzarelli and pianist George Shearing resembles the cover of the 1961 LP Nat King Cole Plays, George Shearing Plays. Like that legendary recording, this project offers clean and lean jazz. The pianist is backed by a combo featuring vibraphonist Ted Piltzecker and drummer Dennis Mackrel. With Pizzarelli's laid-back vocals, the group delivers some beautiful new songs and interesting interpretations of pop standards made famous by Cole, Nancy Wilson, and Peggy Lee. Their version of "If Dreams Come" has an ingenious contrapuntal guitar-piano breakdown. On "The Lady's with You," Shearing slyly drops in a few bars of Duke Ellington's "I'm Beginning to See the Light." And "Something to Remember Me By" has melodic tinges from Claude Thornhill's "Snowflake." "Lost April" captures Pizzarelli and Shearing in a heartfelt duet. Shearing's no-frills piano lines and Pizzarelli's bouncy guitar work are inspired and in-the-pocket. --Eugene Holley Jr.

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